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Fair sale-ing can result when fair weather is on the radar, a recent retail trade association report suggests.

While 43 percent of participants in the Retail NZ Retail Radar said they witnessed a boost in trading over the 2017 Christmas period, a further 26 percent reported sales were on par with the previous year.

“The results are positive for the sector, and reflect good weather around the country that encouraged New Zealanders to get out and shop,” Retail NZ’s Greg Harford says. “Kiwis love to get out and about when the weather’s good and shopping is a key activity, allowing families and friends to get together for a shared social experience.”

The positive results came in spite of a new ‘warrior’ entering the fray across the ditch, Mr Harford adds.

“Kiwis have been shopping on Amazon for a number of years [so] while Amazon launched its Australian site during the period, this did not, in itself, have a big impact on Christmas trading results.”

However, he warns that tax rules could soon see the outlook for home-grown retailers cloud over.

“The big issue for retailers continues to be that Amazon and other foreign competitors continue to enjoy preferential tax treatment by the New Zealand Government, which allows them to sell to New Zealanders without paying their share of GST and, in some cases, duty as well,” Mr Harford states. “It is unsustainable for New Zealand retailers to be penalised by their own government and [it] act quickly to close the tax loophole.”